Can Greywater Filtration Systems Save Sports?

Posted by Water Harvesting Solutions on January 17th, 2020

Municipal water supplies across the country are threatened by dropping aquifer levels, overdevelopment in dry zones, and aging infrastructure. Even in areas with abundant rainfall and large natural water supplies, municipalities realize that the growing rate of water usage will be unsustainable in the future.  What does that mean for sporting venues?  Without enough fresh water supply, landscaping cannot be maintained and the demand from fans flushing toilets could exceed available supplies soon. Someday, sporting events could be cancelled from a lack of fresh water!

The challenge is to reduce the demand on municipal supplies now, while there is still time for local resources to recharge.  Municipalities are raising water rates with some communities even doubling them. They are insisting on the use of high-efficient fixtures and water-efficient landscaping. This supports a new industry known as “Water Harvesting”, which reuses greywater, rainwater, and condensate.

A greywater filtration system captures “gently used” water from showers, sinks and other processes. It treats the water for non-potable uses such as toilet flushing and irrigation, which is ideal for a sports stadium.  A sports stadium committed to water reuse with a greywater filtration system can save hundreds of thousands - or millions –of gallons of water every year!

Apart from adopting water-reducing strategies, stadiums are also tracking the consumption of water game-by-game and month-by-month to know how much water they are currently using and how much it is costing them. These stats are being recorded, options are being considered, and water reduction strategies are being put into place.

Strategies to Save the Game:

• Greywater harvesting systems are being installed in sports stadiums across the world. The treated greywater is used to flush toilets, irrigate turf, pressure-washstands and supply evaporative cooling systems.

• In areas with abundant rainfall, rainwater is collected from roofs and kept in large cisterns, with the option of underground storage.  Commercial rainwater harvesting systems draw from the cisterns and treat the water to a safe level for reuse in irrigating turf or flushing toilets.

• Apart from adopting a greywater filtration system, the traditional toilets at the stadiums are being replaced with high-efficiency toilets that use less water per flush.

• Restroom fixtures and sensor-controlled faucets are helping stadiums to reduce the consumption of water.

Greywater and rainwater harvesting has been a breakthrough in the area of water conservation in stadiums across the world.

About the Author:

Water Harvesting Solutions Inc, is an expert in designing, building, and delivering custom water harvesting systems for on-site water reuse of greywater, rainwater, and stormwater in commercial and institutional buildings across the USA and Canada.